Technology and social media are two integral parts of today’s society. We cannot overlook the significance of these two things in our daily life. Classrooms are no exceptions! Most schools and universities are implementing technology in their classrooms and shifting towards a more digital model to educate students.
Academicians can use social media platforms in different ways in a classroom. Students can get live lectures, and everything through virtual means. Social media is an excellent learning model since it provides a smoother and seamless communication tool for students and teachers. On that note, here are 8 ways how we can use social media for learning in our daily life.
Use Facebook Page to Broadcast Updates and Alerts
Facebook is an excellent option to integrate into the classrooms. If you want to reach the whole class virtually and notify them about any updates and alerts, using Facebook pages is a neat alternative to traditional classes. You can simply ask the whole class to like the Facebook page. The teachers can update any updates or assignments and even engage them in group discussions through it.
However, you need to be careful about the page’s privacy settings since they are by default public, and anyone with Facebook access can comment on these posts. So, you must always customize the privacy settings so that none outside the classroom can access these broadcasts.
Facebook Groups Can Also Come in Handy
Facebook Groups are also an excellent alternative to conducting school or college classes. They can create Facebook Groups and add the students to those groups to conduct a class like a traditional one. The instructors can post class discussions, deliver lectures, assign homework and announce any updates or notifications.
You can also post reminders to let the students know about any homework or assignments that they need to submit after a long break or vacation. However, it is also essential to maintain professional boundaries while using Facebook to take classes. For example, as a teacher, no one should send friend requests to any students or parents. Rather, they must send the group link over their official email id.
Using Twitter as a Class Message Board
Most of the millennials are active on twitter as well. They use Twitter to follow their favourite celebrities. So, teachers can use Twitter to connect with the students if they want. In fact, Twitter is an excellent option for a virtual class message board. Creating a Twitter handle takes only a few minutes. Teachers can create separate handles for a new academic year or separate classes as per their convenience. They can write anything from reminders, and study materials, to assignment details and even quizzes on the Twitter handle.
Since Twitter has a 280-character limit, teachers can write anything they need to convey very concisely, thus relieving some pain. On the flip side, students also get trained to communicate effectively and concisely because of the character limits. Hence, they improve their written communication skills.
Instagram for Visual Aided Classes
If you need to show your students a lot of pictures, graphs, or diagrams, you can use Instagram to show them in a more appealing way. The main USP of Instagram is that it allows students to get an immersive storytelling experience that any other social media channels fail to offer.
Teachers can create class-specific Instagram accounts. They could use those for just a class and delete them afterwards if they served their purpose.
Class Blogs
Blog posts are another option for teachers to connect them with the students. There are numerous blogging platforms like WordPress, Tumblr, etc., that teachers can use to create blogs. Students are asked to create their own accounts on these platforms and access these blogs. They can read the blogs and comment on them if they have any doubts or want to express their views and ideas.
Teachers can also use the blog posts to share syllabus, updates, and reminders about assignments and study materials. Blogs act as a permanent medium that students can go back to later to check if needed.
Pinterest Boards
Instructors can make the most of Pinterest to take their classes more effectively. They can create Boards for specific purposes and pin any resource they find useful for the students. Pinterest can be an excellent platform for teachers to organize and prepare their resources, worksheets, lesson plans and classes in one place.
They can create separate boards for different subjects and classes and pin the resources on a daily or weekly basis. Students also find it easy to follow the materials from Pinterest since they can easily curate a bibliography by going through the papers and projects chronologically. They can also refer back to any study materials from time to time since they remain saved as pins.
Social Media links on School Websites
Many educational institutes are creating their own social media profiles and adding those links to their websites. This enables the students and their parents to check the institutes’ details before enrolling. They can check all the features and offerings of the institutes and make better decisions about the education of their wards.
The students also relate more to the institutes when they find their desired college or university on the same social media they are in.
Create interest-based Facebook Groups
Many students want to stay involved with their alumni after they leave. Facebook groups are an excellent way to engage multiple generations of students in a single place. There are a lot of Facebook groups based on particular interests. These groups are usually private groups, and you can only join if someone invites you or after admin approval. You can communicate with a lot of seniors and peers and get information about your interest areas.
Summing up:
The main objective of social media was to bring people from different eras and communities under a common platform. However, that objective has branched out to several other segments, and it’s no surprise that the education sector is also gradually implementing this modern method to maximise its effectiveness. Social media in schools create a friendlier environment and helps students make more friends. For example, many introvert students previously struggled to make friends. Social media has broken down those walls as they can now type and communicate with anyone they like without worrying about facing anyone face-to-face.
Writer: Mridul Mahmud